The Order of Aftab (Nishan-i-Aftab) was founded by Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, the King of Persia, in February 1873, before his first visit to various European states. The order came in two classes, the first class restricted to female sovereigns or consorts of reigning rulers and the second class to princesses and ladies of high rank, and those deserving of special recognition or signs of conspicuous appreciation by the Shah. In 1967 during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty the statues of the order had changed, there changes included the nane to the Order of Aryamehr, the insignia and the eligibility of receiving the order.